Table leg embedded in man's head during fight

A broken table leg was found sticking out of the head of a Syracuse man when city police answered an early morning assault call on the Northside today.

John Stout, 24, of 406 Hiawatha Blvd. E., was taken to University Hospital to have the leg removed from his head. The wooden table leg had a metal plate at the top which lodged in the left side of Stout's skull, Sgt. Tom Connellan, speaking for Syracuse police, said.

Doctors had to remove screws from the table leg to separate the wood leg from the metal plate and then surgery took the plate out, Connellan said. The injury was not life threatening, Connellan said.

Stout was able to talk to police and he told them that Lawrence Martin, 51, of 406 Hiawatha Blvd. E., had hit him about 1 a.m. with the table leg in the Hiawatha Boulevard address they shared, Connellan said.

Police found Martin inside, bleeding heavily from an injury to the left side of his head.

Martin said the two fought, with Stout hitting Martin several times in the head before the two hit the floor. A table was knocked over during the fight, Martin said.

Martin was charged with felony assault and misdemeanor criminal possession of a weapon. Stout was charged with misdemeanor assault.